Grimoire of the Balanced Wheel (3.5e Sourcebook)/Changes to Character Creation (or Who Are We?)
Changes to Character Creation (or Who Are We?) Races *Use races as written here. Point Buy Rather than the usual method of rolling or standard 3.5 point buy, Grimoire games use the following point buy: *All ability scores start at 10 *Characters start with 23 points *The following table details the cost to increase an ability to a certain number: *A single score may be lowered by up to two (up to 8), giving one extra point for each one by which it is lowered HP Changes *Characters gain max HP per hit-die at every level. *At first level, characters gain a bonus +20 HP. Bonuses to AC *Characters gain a Defense bonus to their AC equal to 3/4 their BAB. This bonus is added to both Touch and Flat-Footed AC, but disappears if the character becomes helpless. *Any miscellanous modifiers to AC (such as from other ability scores added to AC, like the monk's bonus) are considered Shield bonuses to AC and do not stack with each other. The sum of one's shield bonus to AC (if any) and one's Defense bonus to AC from BAB can be at most equal to 3/4ths one's character level +2. *Any effect that adds to AC without a limitation on how much Dexterity one can add to AC (such as from Bracers of Armor, spells, and the like) counts as an enhancement bonus to AC, does not stack with normal armor, and is capped at +5. Attack Bonus *Characters with a medium BAB automatically gain Weapon Focus with a single weapon traditionally used by their class at first level with which they would have proficiency. For example... **Rogues would get Weapon Focus with a single light weapon. **Swordsages would get Weapon Focus with a single discipline weapon from which they have a maneuver. **Monks would get Weapon Focus with unarmed strikes. *Characters who possess at least 4 levels in a class with Medium BAB gain a +1 Competence bonus to attacks for every four levels they possess when employing "traditional" attacks. These stack with each other between classes. For example, a Rogue 4 / Ninja 4 would get +1 to attack when flanking, +1 to attack if they use Ki Points, and +2 to attack if they both flank and use Ki Points at the same time. Here are some examples of "traditional" attacks: **Rogues: When they flank. **Ninjas: In a round in which they use abilities that use up Ki Points. **Monks: When they use Flurry of Blows. **Swordsages: When they use a martial Strike or Boost. **Factotums: During a round in which they spend Inspiration points. (Round begins on their turn, ends at the beginning of their next turn.) **Scouts: When they skirmish. **Psychic Warriors: On a round they gain or lose psionic focus, or manifest a psionic power. **Soulknives: When they make an attack that adds their Psychic Strike damage Saves *The saves of characters is equal to 1/2 their character level plus their relevent ability modifier plus the resistance bonus from their cloak of resistance (balanced wealth variant) plus their class bonus. *As far as relevant ability modifiers go, Strength or Constitution may add to Fortitude saves, Dexterity or Intelligence may add to Reflex saves, and Wisdom or Charisma may add to Will saves. *Class bonus is as follows: **If a class gets a single good save and two poor saves, they get +2 to that good save. **If a class gets two good saves and one poor save, they get +1 to both good saves. **If a class gets three good saves, they get +1 to all saves. *Only one class bonus applies to characters, of the player's choice. A player may change the class bonus that they chose when they gain a level. **For example, a rogue / cleric could either choose to get +2 to Reflex saves, or +1 to Fortitude and Will saves, and may change their choice when they gain a level. *Divine Grace and other effects that add bonuses to saves instead allow the character to add the bonus that they would get once per encounter to each save as an immediate action. This addition may be made after the character rolls their save, but before the DM announces the result. **For example, a paladin with a +5 charisma modifier could upon being targeted by an effect that calls for a Will save, as an immediate action, add +5 to their roll. Later in the encounter when targeted by an effect that calls for a Fortitude save, they could could add +5 to that save, but if targeted again by a Will save they would be unable to get another +5 to their roll. **On the other hand, a crusader with Indomitable Soul and a +4 Charisma bonus would be able to add +4 to their Will save once per encounter, but would be unable to add that Charisma modifier to any other save since Indomitable Soul normally only adds their Charisma bonus to Will saves. Healing Surges and Taking Stock Use the following two rules in conjunction: *Healing Surges *Taking Stock Feats *On top of the usual feat progression (1, 3, 6, 9, 12...) characters get an extra bonus feat at levels two, four, and five. Size Bonuses *Size bonuses to special attacks (grapple, bull rush, overrun, and so on) as well as Hide checks are inverse (or equal, the case of Hide) to the bonus or penalty to attack rolls. **For example, a Large creature would gain +1 to grapple checks and -1 to Hide checks, while a Small creature would gain -1 to grapple checks and +1 to Hide checks. Attackers Roll All Dice *Replace a defender's saves with static defenses, while the attacker rolls the attack to pierce it. **This is not a normal attack, and normal rules that apply to attacks do not apply to this. *To determine the defenses of the defender, take the normal saving throw and add 12. *To determine the attack modifier of the attacker, take the normal DC, subtract 10. Roll 1d20 to discover if you pierce the defense (must meet or beat the defense). Balanced Skills *Use the variant as written here. Combining Skills *Hide and Move Silently are combined into Stealth. *Listen, Search, and Spot are combined into Perception. *Disable Device and Open Lock are combined into Disable Device. *Climb, Jump and Swim are combined into Athletics. *Balance and Tumble are combined into Acrobatics. *Forgery and Decipher Script are combined into Linguistics. *Disguise and Gather Information are combined into Intrigue. *Use Rope and Survival are combined into Survival. Removing Cross-Class Skills *All skills require one skill point to raise by one rank. *If a skill is a class skill for any class you possess, it gains a +3 class bonus. *The limit of ranks that can be placed in any skill, including skills that are cross-class skills, is equal to one's HD. *Any prerequisites that require a certain number of ranks in skills for feats and prestige are reduced by three. *Characters don't get the traditional x4 skill points at first level. Intelligence Bonus to Skills *Change to one's Intelligence does not effect the number of skill points one gains at every level; this bonus is set at first level. :*For example, if a character has 18 base Intelligence and later brings it up to 22 from level boosts and a headband of intelligence, they would still only add +4 from their Intelligence modifier to the number of skill points they'd receive at every level. ----